Orthodontics FAQs

Answers to Common Questions About Orthodontics

Selecting an orthodontist in Rehoboth Beach, DE who can help you achieve your smile dreams is important. Orthodontists are dental specialists who diagnose, prevent and treat dental and facial irregularities.

They receive an additional two to three years of specialized education beyond dental school to learn the proper way to align and straighten teeth. Only those with this formal education may call themselves “orthodontists,” and only orthodontists may be members of the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO).

Dr. Johnson from Johnson Orthodontics has achieved this specialization and is an active member in AAO.

The American Association of Orthodontists recommends an orthodontic screening at age seven. By this age, most children have several permanent teeth that have erupted, letting us evaluate their orthodontic needs.

By this age, Dr. Johnson can spot subtle problems with jaw growth and emerging teeth while some baby teeth are still present. That’s important, because some orthodontic problems may be easier to correct if they’re found early. Most orthodontic patients begin active braces treatment between ages 9 and 14.

Crooked and crowded teeth are hard to clean and maintain. A bad bite can also cause abnormal wear of tooth surfaces, difficulty in chewing and/or speaking, and excess stress on supporting bone and gum tissue.

Without treatment, many problems become worse and can require additional dental care later in life.

Not necessarily. Research suggests that wisdom teeth don’t always cause teeth to shift.

In most cases, wisdom teeth are removed for general dental health reasons rather than for orthodontic health. Your family dentist or Dr. Johnson can help determine whether or not your wisdom teeth need to be removed.

Dr. Johnson will recommend how long to continue wearing your retainers, whether they are removable (the kind you put in and take out) or fixed (bonded behind your teeth). Wearing your retainers as prescribed is the best way to keep your teeth from moving after your orthodontic treatment.

There are many reasons teeth may move following orthodontic treatment. Teeth are not set in concrete, they are in bone. Because bone around your teeth is continually changing (breaking down and rebuilding), your teeth may shift after your braces are removed.

By wearing your retainers, your teeth are more likely to remain where Dr. Johnson has placed them through braces treatment.

The small changes that happen after braces are removed are due to a settling in as you use your teeth for biting and chewing. The more serious and unwanted changes may be traced to genetics or later-than-normal growth, which is unpredictable.

Movement is most common in lower front teeth. This is particularly true if the teeth were extremely crowded prior to treatment. Changes in tooth position are a lifelong and naturally occurring phenomenon.

The best way to keep your teeth from shifting is to wear your retainers as prescribed. If you notice movement after your braces are removed, please contact Johnson Orthodontics.

The fact is that throughout your lifetime, even though you have had orthodontic treatment, you can expect changes in tooth position. Many factors at work may cause teeth to shift. Such changes are different for everyone and most of the time they are hardly noticeable.

However, on occasion changes can occur that are disappointing to both the patient and Dr. Johnson. Changes in tooth position are not a failure of your orthodontic treatment. They are a natural process. We expect changes in our bodies as we grow older, and teeth are no exception.

To help control and limit these changes, retainers are prescribed after your braces are removed.

No. Retainers stabilize and preserve the alignment of teeth and jaws that orthodontic treatment achieved. Many people wear removable retainers nightly for the rest of their lives. Ask your orthodontist for guidance about your long-term retainer use.